270 Proceedings of the Boy at Physical Society. 



and in their origin. But the houses built on them, and the 

 people who live in them — a sad race — are still more curious. 

 " Frisia non canted,'' writes an old historian ; and, considering 

 its perilous existence and many misfortunes, it would be 

 rather remarkable if Friesland did sing. 



The history of the inhabitants does not, however, come 

 within my limits. I may, however, be allowed to say that 

 these " Hallige " vary in size. Some of these — very few — are 

 so large that they comprise a hamlet of fifteen houses, a 

 church, and even a graveyard. But most of them are so small 

 that one or two houses, with the grass for a dwarf cow or 

 a sheep, is about all that they can afford room for. In all of 

 them the houses are built on " werfts," or artificial mounds of 

 clay, stones, etc., so as to raise the house above the reach of 

 ordinary tides. This is not, however, always possible, and 

 not unfrequently the house is swept away, the inhabitants 

 escaping in their boats when the sea is not too rough. But if 

 the " werft " is not destroyed, they will return and rear their 

 house anew. They are, as might be expected, about the most 

 primitive people in all Europe, but hospitable to an embar- 

 rassing degree, and fond of seeing visitors who will risk a voy- 

 age and a ivacle to their stray homes in the sea. 



The soil of some of the islands is rich, but the people are 

 afraid to disturb it lest the sea shall thereby gain an advan- 

 tage. Moreover, the Halliger always lives in terror lest he 

 should sow what he would never reap. Few of the islets 

 escape being covered by the sea once or twice a year, but 

 some of the smaller ones are partially inundated every spring- 

 tide. These islets are believed to be sinking, not by the 

 gradual submergence of the land, such as is going on in the 

 shore of Sweden, but by the sea undermining the sandy 

 foundations of the islands, and so allowing them to sink. 

 There is naturally no turf on the Hallige, and if there were, 

 the people would be afraid to dig it. They could not burn up 

 their country. Accordingly, the droppings of their cattle, 

 mixed with clay, and sun dried, constitute their only fuel. 

 And this, like the fodder of their cattle, is carefully stored up 

 i n the " loft " of their houses, so as to be out of reach of 

 '' Shining Hans," as they call their sleepless enemy — the sea. 



